Her Story
by AeroJester203
Summary: Sequel to For the Mission. After the adventures with her partner drew to a close, they went their separate ways. A young Eevee promised to be a great explorer and intends to keep that promise. But there's more to being a great explorer than strength and bravery. And the problems that arise during her adventures don't help anything. Please read and review!
1. Making the Grade!

**Anybody who's read the past two stories shouldn't need any introduction here. But those who haven't, I** ** _highly_** **recommend you read For the Mission and The Future of Little Hope first.**

 **On with the story!**

* * *

Chapter 1: Making the Grade!

Martha woke up with the rising sun once again, systematically moving towards the wall of her room to pick up her Treasure Bag and put the strap over her back.

Six months had passed since she bid her partner farewell. The Eevee led the rest of Team Rapid without him as she promised, none of them or the other guild apprentices any wiser to his brief visit.

Martha had wanted to tell her friends about Nate remaining alive after stopping the planet's paralysis, but decided against it. She felt that her teammates would ask why she didn't convince him to stay, and she wasn't really sure herself.

Meanwhile, the guild members knew that the human-turned-Pokémon had the best of intentions and noblest of missions, but he was still talked about in hushed tones by the residents of Treasure Town. After all, he'd completely abandoned the guild. The members there probably wouldn't want to be reminded that he'd seen them as a waste of time to work with.

Everybody knew the story that they had helped capture Grovyle, Nate's partner from the future, and would've done the same to him if he hadn't shown them definitive proof of their folly. Even if they didn't know the whole story at the time, Wigglytuff's Guild had lost a lot of face from nearly dooming the world to eternal darkness.

With a sigh, Martha turned to walk towards the morning address. She happened to catch a glimpse of the Explorer Badge on her necklace. The purple gem now matched the crystal set into her necklace. Under her leadership, Team Rapid had advanced from Super Rank to Ultra Rank over the past months, and had achieved Hyper Rank just yesterday. It hadn't been easy, especially since Martha had put missions on hold for the most part during that time to practice team attacks.

Three times a week, Martha would take the whole team outside of Treasure Town and group them in teams of three or four to spar. Two teams would spar with each other while the third would debate about how they could combine their fighting styles and moves. Which ones did which would rotate each time. They would spend one week with one set-up and then shuffle around into different squads for the next week. She kept this up until she was satisfied with their ability to work together, including herself. Now, each member of their exploration team could work with any other member like a well-oiled machine. Although she still had practice sessions once a week from then on to keep them in shape and practice with new attacks.

In addition, on those training days, Martha would spend the time from dismissing her team until dinner to meditate and try to perfect her Substitute. Every time since they could talk, she quizzed her clones on various scenarios, but she never felt satisfied with their ability to pose as her. The imbalance of their psyches always gave it away, so for now, she kept them emotionless when she wanted to use them, even as she boosted their intelligence and memories.

Still, she had figured out how to override their standard mindset and set commands into their make-up and to reduce and increase the energy she put in them, like Nate had hinted at in Brine Cave. Martha could make her clones act as an early warning system, alerting her when enemies tried to sneak up on her, send them to attack others from multiple angles, or command them to send a message to someone, even if it was delivered in emotionless monotone.

During all of their missions, several clients requested to join Team Rapid. Martha turned most away, as they already had sufficient combat strength. One, however, did make the cut, but not necessarily for his combat ability alone.

* * *

 ** _"_** ** _I don't see how this is supposed to prove your point," Martha said._**

 ** _The Magby client in front of her smiled as he swapped items from his personal storage to the Recycle Shop and got a Gold Ticket, redeeming it immediately._**

 ** _He picked the yellow tab at the end of the ticket, seemingly on a whim and replied, "Just watch."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Okay, Yellow then," Wynaut cheerfully nodded._**

 ** _Martha did so and Wynaut handed the tab to Wobbuffet, who turned around to check it. Wynaut asked, "Is it a win? Is it not?"_**

 ** _Wobbuffet shook her head._**

 ** _"_** ** _So is it a win or not?"_**

 ** _Wobbuffet shook her head again._**

 ** _"_** ** _Huh… wait. Don't tell me…" the runner of the booth said in disbelief. "Is it a big win…?"_**

 ** _Wobbuffet abruptly turned around, "That's right!"_**

 ** _The back wall between the two booths abruptly burst inward, surprising everybody except Felix. A Ludicolo led four Bellossom inside with a hearty, "Oh, yeaaaaah!"_**

 ** _They broke into celebratory dance for a few moments to festive music while Martha looked from the dancers to the Magby. He looked like he'd seen this very celebration several times. The celebrating Pokémon disappeared in a flash of light, even repairing the wall._**

 ** _Wynaut bowed to the Magby, "I must congratulate you again, Felix. Why not? Here is your big prize!"_**

 ** _Felix nodded and received a TM for False Swipe. He held it up to Martha with a raised eyebrow and she said, "That proves nothing except that you got lucky."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Would you like to get another prize ticket, Felix?" Wynaut asked._**

 ** _The same process repeated itself. The Magby even had the audacity to pick the same colored tab. The dancing Pokémon broke down the wall for the second time in half an hour and disappeared again. This time, Felix received a Protect TM._**

 ** _"_** ** _It's very complicated, and even my parents don't know why me in particular, but my father, an Infernape, was born from his mother who was mated to an Arbok that was the son of blah, blah, blah…" Felix trailed off apathetically as he redeemed another ticket, picking the yellow tab again. "Point is, my great-great-grandfather was a Honchkrow, and I got his devil luck. Not even the standard Super Luck, just plain old luck in chance. As you'll see…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Is that so? Wonderful! Here's your prize!" Wynaut announced handing over an orb and a TM to Felix. Still a win, but not a big win. (1)_**

 ** _"_** ** _It does have a limit. But luck like mine could come in handy in the field, right?"_**

* * *

Felix had made a very convincing case and Team Rapid didn't have a Fire-type since they'd never needed one before with all of the types covered. But she couldn't deny that his extreme luck, even if limited in usage, would be useful. However, the first order of business for him was training to work with the rest of Team Rapid.

During that time, they learned that he had practically weaponized his luck to integrate it into combat. Anybody that fought him would have to watch out for sudden bouts of tripping, for his ability meant bad luck for his opponents and good luck for him and his allies. One time when Maribel tried rushing him, he didn't even have to move before a stray boulder from Terrence a short distance away slammed into her from behind. It didn't cause her any great harm, but it gave him time to counter.

He didn't wholly rely on it, though. If he did, he'd run out too fast. Depending on the magnitude of luck used, inversely proportional to how much of his own effort he put into hitting and dodging when using it, it could last from all day to a few minutes. Relying on pure chance like the aforementioned examples drained about a quarter of his "luck energy" as the Fire-type referred to it, even more if it had hit Maribel's head and knocked her out. But if he only relied on luck to get small openings such as slip-ups, instead of relying on it for getting vulnerable spots or making especially devastating hits, he could reliably use it for an entire exploration. However, using it too long without recharging caused Felix's own luck to turn bad.

Martha reached the area in front of Wigglytuff's chamber for the morning address, unknowing of the announcement to come.

* * *

"I beg your pardon?" Martha asked in surprise. "Graduation?"

Chatot nodded, "Correct. Graduation from the guild! If you graduate, you can leave the guild and become an independent team with all privileges. You'll be rid of the harsh daily training program, too. Of course, that all depends on your passing the graduation exam."

"Hey, hey, hey! Chatot!" Corphish called. When he turned to face the Water-type, he said, "Hey, hey! We've been around a lot longer than Martha. Hey, hey! Why does she get to take the graduation exam before we do?"

"She's already proven herself to be worthy many times over," Chatot answered. "Besides, her team is merely one rank away from Master Rank. Keeping her here seems to be moot, so she should at least get the chance to graduate."

He turned back to Martha, who kept silent during the discussion, "So that's how it is, Martha. I expect you to be prepared for the graduation exam!"

Martha nodded as Sunflora pointed out, "Loudred took the graduation exam last year."

"And promptly failed! Hey, hey!" Corphish added.

"G-g-get LOST!" Loudred grumbled in reply.

"So," Martha ventured, "what am I supposed to do for this exam?"

Wigglytuff addressed her, "I want you to explore the depths of a wood named Mystifying Forest. You should find a place called Luminous Spring there."

"Luminous Spring? The place where Pokémon used to evolve?" the Eevee asked in confirmation.

"Yup~!" he answered cheerfully. Chatot continued for him, "We want you to travel to Luminous Spring and return with its treasure. If you can bring that treasure back to the guild, you pass the exam. You will then be recognized as a fully trained exploration team and graduate from the guild with full honors!"

'Hm, that sounds simple enough,' Martha thought to herself. 'Maybe the challenge is getting through Mystifying Forest itself. But I'm fairly certain that I can do it with my team's help.'

Wigglytuff spoke up, interrupting her thoughts, "But… you have to watch out for one thing. There you'll find… a frighteningly strong enemy."

She turned her full attention to him, expression serious as the Guildmaster continued, "The Grandmaster of All Things Bad lives there."

Martha said nothing, waiting for Wigglytuff to elaborate.

"The Grandmaster is terribly wicked," he explained. "They're a horrifying presence that no one would _ever_ want to meet… So… Good luck with that~!"

Team Rapid's leader sweated a bit at Wigglytuff's abrupt shift in attitude. 'If there's this wicked Pokémon on the loose, and he knows about it, shouldn't he report it to Magnezone, or mobilize the guild to take them down?'

Chatot addressed all of the apprentices, "That will do for the morning briefing! All right, everyone! Let's get down to work!"

"HOORAY!"

Martha didn't cheer and looked around at everyone's strange behavior. They seemed remarkably unconcerned that she was going into a mystery dungeon where a reportedly wicked Pokémon made their base. Their attitudes and the information she got clashed too much for this to be any ordinary exam.

'If there's anything that's most valuable in a mission,' she recalled, 'it's good information. I refuse to do this mission without at least _trying_ to get a clearer idea.'

The Eevee turned and walked towards the sentry post, keeping her voice casual, "Excuse me. Loudred?" He turned with a questioning grunt and Martha continued, "You took the graduation exam already, right? Can you give me any tips on dealing with it? Perhaps some information on the Grandmaster of All Things Bad?"

"Ugh," Loudred groaned, "I'm sorry, but I'm NOT allowed to talk about it. It's the guild rule. I CAN'T talk about it. But… I will tell you this. You're in for… a dreadful, terrifying time."

He shuddered, "What I went through… Even now, when I let myself remember it… WAAAAH!" Loudred ran off screaming.

Martha's expression fell into a bit of a pout as she thought, 'Well that told me absolutely nothing, except that I should pack lots of items for this test… Maybe I should try asking around outside the guild.'

* * *

"'The Grandmaster of All Things Bad'?" Wattson asked with a raised eyebrow. He let out a chuckle, "Sounds like the villain from a game of Explorers and Outlaws. **(2)** Plus, no self-respecting crook with any bit of common sense would pick an alias like _that_. It sticks out too much. Anyway, I never heard of the guy while I was working for my boss."

Meanwhile, Maribel tilted her head, "I've never heard of such a villain personally, but I'll fly over to my grandma's and ask her. She still keeps an info network. If this 'Grandmaster' is at large in Mystifying Forest, she'll know about it."

Martha nodded, "Thank you." Once the Starling Pokémon took off, she told the others, "I'm going to go pick up items for an exploration to Mystifying Forest. I have no idea what kind of Pokémon will be there, so we should have a versatile team."

"'We'?" Psymon asked curiously. "Isn't this one of those guild-exclusive things where you can't bring recruits?"

The leader smirked slightly, "They never said I _couldn't_." **(3)**

Terrence let out a boisterous laugh, "A-ha-ha! Well then, that 'Grandmaster' will be in for a surprise!"

"We'll figure out a few squad options," Yrja offered. "You go on and get your items."

"Thanks," Martha said with a smile before turning around to leave.

As she made her way to Treasure Town, she happened to see Teddiursa and Ursaring on their way to the crossroads.

"Oh, Martha! Hi!" Teddiursa called.

Martha nodded in greeting, "Good morning, Teddiursa, Ursaring. Heading out somewhere?"

"Yup," the Little Bear Pokémon answered. "We're going off to Mystifying Forest now."

"Oh?" she asked, masking her interest. "Is it safe to go there?"

The two bears looked at each other before Teddiursa answered in a puzzled tone, "Why wouldn't it be? Sure, the Pokémon there are strong, but nothing we can't handle. We play often at that forest and Luminous Spring."

"You see, I heard something about somebody that calls themself the 'Grandmaster of All Things Bad'," Martha explained. "They say that he makes his hideout in Mystifying Forest."

"The Grandmaster of All Things Bad?" Ursaring repeated in a puzzled tone. "I've never heard of anything like that. If somebody like that lived there, we'd notice for sure. Sounds like you heard a bad rumor."

"Perhaps," the Eevee answered. Then she smiled, "Well, you two have fun!"

They nodded and waved goodbye while Martha stepped aside to let them pass. Her smile fell into a thoughtful expression after they left. She walked towards Kangaskhan Storage while musing on what she knew.

'Something's fishy about this exam. Nobody outside the guild seems to have seen or heard about this Grandmaster. Yet Wigglytuff hasn't taken down or reported them, despite emphasizing how dangerous this Pokémon is.'

She let out a sharp breath through her nose as she walked past Kecleon Market. 'But Loudred genuinely feared _something_. Somebody hired by the guild, perhaps?'

Martha decided to just prepare and deal with it as it came.

"Good morning, Martha!" Kangaskhan greeted.

She smiled, "Good morning, Kangaskhan. I'm just here to drop off and pick up some items."

Martha organized her bag, packing four Reviver Seeds as well as some Heal Seeds, Stun Seeds and Totter Seeds in addition to the usual berries, food and orbs. She didn't need any equip items, since all of the members of Team Rapid already had exclusive items to assist them. The Eevee had spent quite a lot of time at the Swap Shop to get all of the right ones, but it was worth it in her opinion.

Soon after she finished, she turned to go back across Treasure Town when Regina came forward to meet her. What struck Martha as odd, though, was the surprisingly solemn expression on all three of her faces.

Blinking in slight surprise, Martha greeted her, "Regina, hi. Did you need something?"

"We merely came to deliver Maribel's report," the Tiny Bee Pokémon replied. "She has asked her grandmother, and the retired explorer has heard nothing of this alleged Grandmaster from any of her contacts."

Martha nodded and said, "Very well. Let's just keep our eyes open until we get past Mystifying Forest."

"Actually…" Regina hesitantly interrupted. "Forgive our falsehood. Something does require addressing. Pray we might speak in private?"

Team Rapid's leader paused for a moment, recalling the last time that somebody had asked her to speak in private. Regardless, she nodded and led her to Sharpedo Bluff.

* * *

"I'm telling you, Grand _master_ implies that he at least has _some_ minions," Wattson argued. "Trying to go for the three strongest of us might end with you all overwhelmed by numbers. We'll need some area-of-effect attacks."

"Wattson raises a good point," Ferra added. "Either him or Yrja are a must to prevent getting cornered."

Maribel thought about it and said, "Yrja. She's got Powder Snow, which'll help against the numerous Grass-types that populate Mystifying Forest. As for the other two… Terrence. You'll be able to provide some crowd control as well with your size and heavy hitting."

"Gladly!" the Fossil Pokémon agreed.

Tempest sighed, "Guess I'll stick around. I'm more of an infighter like this. If only I could evolve!"

"Quit whining," Augustus ordered. "Nobody can evolve right now."

Felix gave it some thought before adding, "My 'luck sense' is telling me that I'd be very hard-pressed to get through that forest unharmed. Probably because of Ground-types, if it's a forest. It must be full of traps, too—stupid things draining my luck just by me not stepping on them."

"Really?" Psymon asked.

"A small drain, but still a drain," the Magby answered. "Now imagine if it was that small drain for the entire dungeon, plus whatever I used in fights."

"Yikes."

" _Moving on_ ," Maribel said with a raised voice to get their attention. "We have muscle, and area-of-effect. Now we just need one more member."

"Regina," Martha's voice cut in.

Everybody turned and saw her coming in with the Pokémon in question. She continued, "Her and Yrja can use Fragrant Flurry to sedate the Grandmaster, and their possible minions, while damaging them. Not too many types resist ice, so it'll be a good opening move. They'll probably shrug off the effects after a while, but it'll slow them down."

Yrja nodded, "Very true."

"Welp, looks like we got our team," Tisha commented. "Good luck, y'all."

Martha nodded, "Thanks. Let's go."

She led her three teammates out of the café, and then tossed the Treasure Bag to Terrence, "Looks like you're in charge of items, since you're the one with hands."

Terrence nodded and adjusted the strap to put his wing through it. He had to fold his wings to reach items with his hands, but he had plenty of moves and even a separate fighting style for fighting on the ground, too.

Martha knew that Yrja and Regina had their Sleet and Nectar Bow, respectively, and the Eevee never took off her Virid Collar, in case she got into a fight.

As the squad took off, Martha idly noted that Sunflora and Corphish had disappeared from the crossroad. With that on top of everything else odd about this morning, it only looked more suspicious to her.

* * *

After following the bend of the gulf and going northeast of Waterfall Cave, Team Rapid arrived at the entrance of Mystifying Forest. The sun shining through the deep green leaves of all the trees certainly gave it a surreal quality and the four Pokémon allowed themselves a brief moment to appreciate the atmosphere.

"All right," Martha said. "Our mission is to get to Luminous Spring at the end of this forest and retrieve its treasure, Grandmaster or not. You all ready?"

"Yea, verily," Regina nodded.

Terrence laughed, "Let's show this Grandmaster we mean business! Ah-ha-ha-ha!"

"Careful, they might hear you," Yrja giggled.

It was meant as a joke, but the Aerodactyl's eyes widened in nearly comic realization and he put his "intimidate the enemy" face on. His Old Brooch, a brown gem set in tarnished silver fixed to his chest, glimmered and the air about him seemed to grow tenser. **(4)**

The Spheal shivered slightly, 'I don't think I'll ever get used to Terrence's serious face…' She knew that he was pretty much harmless to his team, but he could be scary when he wanted to.

With all of them ready, Martha nodded and turned forward to lead them inside Mystifying Forest. The entrance disappeared behind them and the trees formed into walls, making rooms and corridors. Picking a direction, Team Rapid began their trek.

Unfortunately, they didn't even get past the second floor before running into a monster house. Worse, the stairs were in the same room, so they couldn't even just run away.

Martha rolled her eyes and signaled, "Yrja."

She jumped into the air for Terrence to catch her in his hand and allow the Clap Pokémon to roll forward and let out a Blizzard, immediately knocking out all of the Grass-types and a Flygon that was also in the room. The Raticates also passed out, by virtue of them not being strong enough to endure the attack. As the four of them looked around, a layer of snow covered the room and the unconscious Pokémon along with the others who wisely decided to flee, leaving behind their money and items.

"Huh," Yrja commented. "You think I might've overdone it?"

Terrence put Martha down and picked up a treasure box, dusting some snow off it before putting it in the bag, the Poké Pocket automatically picking up the money he passed by, "Nah. Ooh, a Sky Gummi! I'll save this for Maribel."

They proceeded to the next floor and Regina fell to the ground as a sudden fog made her wings too wet to fly. She struggled to get up, but Terrence picked her up and perched her on his back.

"There ya go, princess," he chuckled.

She sighed, "We thank thee…"

"Stay close," Martha warned. "We don't want to get separated in this weather."

Luckily, the rest of the dungeon passed without much incident, aside from a Roselia surprising Terrence with Petal Dance before he batted them away with his massive wing. An Oran Berry had him fixed right up. Regina also needed one more ride through another foggy floor, but aside from that, everything went well.

'Man, imagine if I was stupid enough to come here alone out of some silly notion of pride,' Martha idly mused as they reached the stairs on the thirteenth floor. 'Or worse, if I forgot that I had nearly a dozen teammates perfectly ready and willing to help. **(5)** '

With that staircase climbed, Team Rapid arrived at a clearing that narrowed up ahead to another path. As she walked, she noted to her team, "We've come a long way through Mystifying Forest; this area looks different from the rest of the dungeon. Luminous Spring must be just up… ahead…"

Martha trailed off as she noticed that a circle of the grass up ahead looked different from the rest. In fact, it looked more like leaves than actual grass. Lifting the corner up confirmed that it was a pitfall trap—a poorly concealed one, at that.

"Is this somebody's idea of a clever trap…?" the Eevee asked in a disbelieving tone.

"Oh! Martha!" a familiar voice called.

The recruits stepped aside, allowing Teddiursa and Ursaring to greet their leader. Martha greeted them, "Hello, again. I see that you're also on your way to Luminous Spring."

"We often come here, as we've said," Ursaring agreed. "So, how's it going? Did you see your Grandmaster of All Things Bad?"

Martha looked at the pitfall cover behind her, "Something like that. You two go on ahead, I've got to check something first."

Teddiursa shrugged, "All right."

The two of them left, going around Martha and avoiding the trap. She turned to her team, "Well, if they're not going to put some effort into it, might as well go around."

Before any of the other teammates could reply, something grabbed Martha's back leg and pulled her under the cover as she yelped in surprise.

* * *

Martha fell into darkness and couldn't orient herself without seeing which way the floor was, so she fell on her side when whatever held her let go. She immediately rolled to her feet and could sense that she wasn't alone.

"Muah-"

The ceiling immediately blasted apart, bathing the underground chamber in light as the rubble formed walls around the edges of the pit. Terrence flew in, eyes glowing purple with Yrja on his back and Regina beside him.

"-ha?"

Terrence landed behind Martha, hunching protectively over her while Yrja and Regina guarded his back. The Fossil Pokémon growled with his eyes still glowing and his Pressure ability fully active, charging the air around the group in an effort to intimidate them.

But Team Rapid, as a whole, blinked in surprise when they saw just who they were facing.

Martha looked incredulously at Wigglytuff while her recruits looked at the other members of the guild.

"Wait…" Bidoof said. "Was this part of the plan?"

Chatot was merely struck speechless with his beak wide open at the sight of an Aerodactyl coming to Martha's rescue. The only recruits he had met personally were Maribel and Psymon. Worst of all, he couldn't call out the Eevee on her using recruits, as that would acknowledge the guild's involvement in the graduation exam.

"Well, I must admit, this has caught me by surprise," Martha said with raised eyebrows. She had this figured out now. The graduation exam required the apprentice to best the rest of the guild in combat. No wonder Loudred had bad memories about it.

She continued, "To think that Guildmaster Wigglytuff… had a doppelganger!"

Hey, if she had to go along with this charade, she may as well have fun with it.

Pointing dramatically with her front leg, Martha called, "You must be the horrendous Grandmaster of All Things Bad! And these are your minions!"

"Muah-hahahaha!" Wigglytuff laughed. "Yes! It is I! Coming to our lair is the last mistake you will ever make. You're not walking out of here."

Getting into the swing of things, Terrence sneered confidently, "We'll never give in! Bring it, puffball!"

"Prepare to face the terror that is the Grandmaster of All Things Bad!" Wigglytuff grinned. "YOOM… TAH!"

Blue rings of sound energy raced towards Team Rapid and Terrence immediately took flight while grabbing Martha and Yrja with his feet. Regina followed, using her own wings to fly. The Hyper Voice attack blasted the ground where they had stood, causing a dust cloud to rise up.

At Yrja's signal, Terrence dropped her, letting her use Defense Curl to brace for impact. Regina followed her. Chatot took flight and got in her way for a moment, but he was suddenly switched out for Martha, her dropping towards the ground and him now in Terrence's grasp, much to the Music Note Pokémon's shock.

Once Yrja landed, she let Regina settle on her head, the two of them spinning around as Regina released concentrated Sweet Scent around them.

"Fragrant Flurry!" Yrja shouted as she released Powder Snow. The ice attack picked up the Sweet Scent and a pink tint as it flew about the room. They had tried the same with Blizzard for more power, but the fierce winds that came with that attack always dispersed the Sweet Scent.

Diglett and Dugtrio immediately burrowed underground while the rest were chilled and their movements grew sluggish both from the cold and the scent's relaxing effect. Sunflora couldn't take it and passed out. Regina moved on to engage Croagunk while Yrja rolled over to one of the holes dug by the two Ground-types. Putting her face in it, she simply blew a Blizzard right into it, forcing both of them to pop up to provide some relief. Once they were exposed, she knocked them out with an Aurora Beam. With them down, she moved onto Loudred, who used a Howl to reinvigorate himself.

"OOOOORAAA!" he shouted as he fought the sedative and charged Yrja.

Terrence threw Chatot to the ground before hitting him with Ancient Power to knock him out. The bird had already been weakened by the combination move. He faced Wigglytuff and his hands gained a light blue glow before his fingertips sharpened with Dragon Claw.

Regina used more Sweet Scent to further sedate Croagunk before sending him into the wall with Gust. While she only had three moves, she had made them quite powerful. Yrja spared a quick Ice Beam to freeze the wall around Croagunk and bind him there before dropping a Rock Slide on Loudred.

Martha hadn't been stationary either. She knew that Chimecho was the medic of the team and immediately went after her with Quick Attack. The Wind Chime Pokémon tried catching her with Psychic, but Martha skid to a stop, kicking sand in her face at the same time to disrupt her attack.

"Ah!" Chimecho cried in surprise and discomfort.

Martha heard somebody scuttling behind her and looked to see Corphish with his pincer open and glowing black. Right as he attacked, his eyes widened when his attack connected with Chimecho instead of his original target, knocking the medic out. Then he cried out "Hey, hey!" as he tried shaking off Regina, who'd latched onto his back with Bug Bite.

Martha had already moved onto Bidoof. He looked nervous, but curled up to use Rollout. Martha used Take Down to send him crashing into the wall before he could get any momentum going and then threw three rounds of Trump Cards, each set more powerful than the last. She moved back to Corphish and helped Regina to knock him out. Only then did Martha double check to see Bidoof indeed unconscious in a small pile of rubble.

Yrja finished up Loudred with an Ice Ball attack to the head and regrouped with Terrence. He had gotten some good hits in, but was hard-pressed to defend against Wigglytuff with his Steel Wing and Iron Tail while still counterattacking. She shot an Aurora Beam at the "Grandmaster", in hopes of weakening him further, but it just turned his attention to her. He charged Yrja with Double-Edge, but she was switched out for Martha.

Unhindered, Wigglytuff plowed into her, only for him to overbalance when the rather weak Substitute popped.

"Now!" the real Martha called.

She shot her last two sets of Trump Cards, her most powerful attack besides Last Resort, which was unavailable to her now. Yrja added an Ice Beam, so as to not throw off her allies' aim with the gale, while Terrence shot sharp rocks with Stone Edge. Regina, unable to contribute any worthwhile moves, made sure that the unconscious Pokémon stayed under by relaxing them with Sweet Scent.

When the dust cleared, Wigglytuff was still standing, albeit with his side frozen and his front and back bruised. He panted, hunched over a bit while Team Rapid remained ready to move, but did not attack.

Acting aside, they didn't want to seriously hurt Wigglytuff.

"Th-they got me…" he muttered, whether to himself or his "minions". "Everyone, run away!"

Terrence courteously lowered the wall bordering the hole to allow their escape.

Fighting the Sweet Scent, the members of the guild began fleeing the chamber. Chimecho picked up Bidoof, Corphish and Sunflora with Psychic and floated with them in tow. Meanwhile, Loudred broke Croagunk out of his ice and hefted the shivering frog over his shoulder before climbing up. Diglett and Dugtrio burrowed away, Chatot took flight and Wigglytuff puffed up with a deep breath to make a lofty jump out of the pit.

Team Rapid let out a collective breath of relief. Even though the fight wasn't overly difficult, they were just glad that they had managed to win against the superior numbers with teamwork.

* * *

 **Since this story has been such a long time coming, I decided to make the first chapter a bit longer than normal. Plus, I couldn't find a good stopping point without one or both chapters being too short.**

 **Also, for those who might be wondering "How was that fight so easy?" bear in mind a few things. One, four whole fighters can make a large difference compared to only two, as is the norm. Two, Martha emphasizes teamwork which means that each member understands each other's strengths and weaknesses, when they might need help, etc. And three,** ** _because_** **Martha emphasized teamwork and had all of them training at once until they reached the amount of synergy demonstrated in reason two (including starting it back up again, training all of them when Felix had to be inducted) the repeated training had them grow much stronger during the six month time skip.**

 **Notes:**

 **1\. This seriously happened. Granted, I picked different tabs each time, and it was slightly before I recruited Felix, but still.**

 **2\. Explorers and Outlaws is pretty much the PMD equivalent of Cops and Robbers, a children's game.**

 **3\. Literally the** ** _only_** **reason that the two main Pokémon have to go alone to Mystifying Forest is because your partner says "It's our test, so we should do it ourselves, just the two of us." The first time I played that part in Explorers of Darkness (Munchlax and… Charmander, I think), I can't even** ** _tell_** **you how frustrated I was that I couldn't bring my recruits with group-targeting moves.**

 **4\. The Old Brooch is Terrence's exclusive item and it boosts the effect of Pressure even further.**

 **5\. That's sort of a shot at myself for not having Meowth think to bring recruits when Chatot didn't expressly forbid it. It seems like the kind of thing he'd do. Then again,** ** _Rio_** **might've done the whole "It's our test" argument.**

 **See you when I see you.**

 **-AJ203**


	2. Independent Issues

**Review Responses:**

 ** _Kiri Kaitou Clover_** **: It** ** _is_** **rather amusing to see Wigglytuff and the others pretend to be the villains, despite being clearly unmasked. Thanks!**

 ** _PsychicEevee0103_** **: I'm glad you enjoy this series so much, and sorry for the wait. I had to finish The Future of Little Hope, as well as attempt juggling four other stories.**

 ** _Emblem of Light_** **: Thank you. I hope you continue to enjoy.**

 ** _ProfessorLugia_** **: Thank you for all of the praise and support you've shown this series. I always try to come up with new ideas and appropriate interpretations of "real life" versions of the in-game attacks and abilities, like in the anime.**

 **On with the story!**

* * *

Chapter 2: Independent Issues

It was easy enough to get out of the pit with Terrence flying Yrja up and Martha burrowing through the earth while Regina simply flew up herself.

After Terrence glanced back and collapsed the chamber with Ancient Power, evening out the earth so that nobody tripped, Team Rapid continued onward.

They saw Teddiursa and Ursaring standing on the shore of what Martha assumed to be Luminous Spring, looking at a box set there. She observed the water to note that it still didn't have its light.

Ursaring's call got her attention, "What happened? We thought you'd be right behind us."

"Just investigating that lead I told you about," Martha answered easily. "Nothing of note, though. What's that box, there?"

"Don't know, really. We just found it here," Ursaring answered.

Teddiursa shook his head, "It definitely wasn't here the last time we came. I want to open it, but I'm also getting a creepy feeling from it."

"You know, it would be nasty if it's a booby trap or something," the larger bear agreed. "So we've been debating whether we should open it or leave it be."

Martha nodded, "Well then, we'll open it. See, we're here as part of the guild's graduation exam. They said to bring back the treasure from here, so it must have been placed here by one of the members."

"I see," Ursaring said as he stepped aside. "Then you should open it."

The Eevee kept her distance though, with the rest of her team, "Still, while I'm sure that it's safe, we should probably check to make sure it's not trapped. Terrence, if you could open it from here?"

Terrence waved the two bears over, and then lifted a pebble with Ancient Power once they were behind him. Moving it right up to the button of the box's lid, he popped the lock and the box opened slightly with no ill effect. Wriggling the tiny rock inside and willing it to push the lid back on its hinge, the treasure of Luminous Spring was revealed.

Terrence dropped the pebble with a flat expression while Martha chuckled.

"A Perfect Apple," she noted.

Terrence unceremoniously plucked the fruit out of the box and dropped it into the Treasure Bag. Yrja shook her head, "I guess it _does_ suit Wigglytuff, if your stories of his attitude are true."

Right after that statement, a flash of light flared around them. In a practiced motion, Team Rapid immediately moved into a protective formation around Teddiursa and Ursaring. Terrence took up the rear with Martha at the front and the remaining two teammates protecting the flanks as another quick flash lit up the area. A slower flash illuminated the spring before it coalesced into a pillar of light shining upon the center.

"Is that…?" Regina muttered in awe.

"Light…" Ursaring said. "Light is shining down!"

"Luminous Spring regained its power!" Yrja cheered.

The group moved forward to investigate, the two bears taking the lead. They stepped onto the water, the surface holding even Ursaring and Terrence's weight with barely a ripple, neither of the large Pokémon sinking a bit. A voice echoed through the clearing.

 _"_ _Those that seek awakening… The resumption of time… has brought light here again. If you seek evolution, step forward."_

"I knew it!" Teddiursa proclaimed. "I knew that Luminous Spring would be revived!"

"Good for you, Teddiursa! You've been looking forward to evolution for a long time!" Ursaring smiled.

"Yup!"

Regina was literally buzzing with anticipation, but Martha made eye contact and gave a nod of acknowledgment. The Tiny Bee Pokémon calmed down, seeing in her leader's eyes that she'd get her turn.

Teddiursa stepped into the light and the voice spoke again.

 _"_ _Those that seek awakening… This is Luminous Spring. Do you seek to evolve?"_

"Yup! Please!"

 _"_ _Do you need an item to do so?"_

"Nope! I don't need one!"

 _"_ _So be it… Seeker of awakening… Let us begin."_

The light became intensely bright, to where the other Pokémon could only see Teddiursa's silhouette, but it remained localized in the pillar somehow, to where it didn't blind them. The small Pokémon's form grew massively, his head becoming less round as his body and limbs enlarged. After the relatively simple transformation completed, the light faded to its normal luminosity, revealing another Ursaring standing in the center.

"Yay!" the former Teddiursa celebrated, conflicting with his now fierce image. He walked back to his friend's side, "Hey, Ursaring! I've evolved!"

"Congratulations!" Ursaring laughed. "All the training you went through finally paid off!" Then he looked at their practically identical appearances, "Now it's hard to tell us apart… But good for you!"

Martha looked back at her recruit, "Regina, would you like to evolve as well?"

"Yea," she replied with the minimum required politeness, already flying forward.

 _"_ _Those that seek awakening… This is Luminous Spring. Do you seek to evolve?"_

"Yea."

 _"_ _Do you need an item to do so?"_

"Nay."

 _"_ _So be it… Seeker of awakening… Let us begin."_

The light flared and Regina's silhouette went through a much more complex change than the freshly evolved Ursaring.

Her entire body seemed to compress until a single honeycomb with wings remained, even the antennae pulling inward. From that piece, a new body rapidly grew outward, a torso expanding back with a neck, taking the wings with them as a second, larger set grew right above them. The honeycomb-shaped head also grew some extra details, two mandibles on the bottom and blunted horn-like projections atop. From the round torso, more continued to sprout, two skinny arms with clawed hands at the sides and a slender waist extending from the lower back. After the waist reached a certain point, it widened into a slightly conical shape.

With that done, the light faded, revealing Regina's new form. Martha took in her appearance in wonder, from the new black patterns adorning her body to the red gem set in her forehead. She had met Maribel's grandmother, a Staraptor, before. So she knew that evolution altered your appearance, but she never expected that a change could be so radical.

'So this is what a queen of Combee looks like,' Martha mused. Then as Regina looked at herself in what Martha could only guess was awe, the Eevee regarded her other unevolved teammate.

"Are you going to give Luminous Spring a spin too?" she asked.

Yrja shook her head, "I'll want to talk about it with Chad first. I wouldn't want to make him feel bad that he can't evolve. You?"

"I'm in no hurry," Martha shrugged. "We have one of each stone, and I want to think long and hard about which form I want before I kiss my Adaptability goodbye."

"Hm, fair enough," Terrence nodded. "I can't evolve, but I don't know what I'd ever do without my Pressure to intimidate the opposition."

Once Regina finished taking account of her appearance and new moves, she nodded to Martha, who nodded back and said, "Let's get back to Treasure Town."

* * *

Martha dismissed her recruits to wait for her at Spinda Café and fill in the others while she took the Treasure Bag and went to the guild.

Once she arrived at the deepest sublevel, she found everybody already waiting for her. If she looked closely, she could see evidence of their fight. Chatot, Sunflora, Diglett, Dugtrio and Croagunk looked like they had a cold, each of them sniffling, Bidoof, Corphish and Loudred moved stiffly, as if sore, and Chimecho had a slightly paler stretch of skin on her white body—a scar from the Night Slash that had yet to go away. The only one looking largely unaffected was Wigglytuff, who stood there with his usual grin.

Once Martha handed over the Perfect Apple, Wigglytuff cheered, "You've passed the graduation exam!"

A couple bursts of confetti rained from overhead as the other apprentices clapped.

"Congratulations!" the Guildmaster continued. "You did it!"

Martha remained silent, and Wigglytuff tilted his head after the clapping stopped, curiously asking, "…Oh? Not celebrating? Are you maybe not happy?"

The Eevee shrugged with a tilt of her head, "Well, yes, I'm happy. And it's admittedly a bit appropriate that my training here at the guild began and ended with retrieving an item. But it's not like I did anything that special…"

"That's not true at all!" Wigglytuff emphatically denied. "Don't you understand that what you did was incredible? You went and brought back a fantastic treasure in a Perfect Apple. But even better than that… You defeated that horrifying Grandmaster of All Things Bad, didn't you?"

'Got you.'

"Oh?" Martha asked in a faux innocent tone that caused the other guild members to tense up slightly. "And how did _you_ know that I met the Grandmaster? _I_ certainly didn't tell you…"

Wigglytuff's smile seemed awkward now, "…Lucky guess! That villain is such a scoundrel that he attacks everybody."

" _Really?_ Because I've asked around and my two most well-informed recruits have never heard of him," she continued. "Furthermore, Ursaring and Teddiursa – well, Ursaring, now – play in Mystifying Forest all the time and _they've_ never seen or heard about the Grandmaster either."

"Also that Grandmaster of All Things Bad looked _veeery_ similar to you, Guildmaster," Martha added with a knowing look. "A doppelganger, in fact."

She let the guild sweat a bit before sighing and shaking her head regretfully, "I can only imagine that you've been chasing him for years, trying to stop him from doing bad things and having someone mistake him for you. If only he hadn't gotten away from me, I could've turned him over to the police."

Even Martha knew she was having _way_ too much fun with this.

"Don't worry, Martha," Wigglytuff reassured, even as he still looked slightly nervous about his cover being blown. "We'll keep a lookout and catch that wicked Pokémon!"

"I'm sure you will," Martha smiled.

Chatot cleared his throat and smiled back, "Anyway! You have now officially graduated from the guild!" Privately, he thought, 'Note to self: Make the graduation exam explicitly guild-exclusive.'

"From now on, you will no longer be bound by the guild's strict regulations," he explained. "You'll be free to operate as an exploration team totally on your own!"

Martha dared to hope and raised an inquisitive eyebrow, "Does that mean my team and I get to keep all the reward money from missions?"

"No," Chatot answered. "Unfortunately for you, that aspect doesn't change at all. Graduation from the guild means you're still affiliated with us. Your team, Team Rapid, can operate only because of this guild. So you'll need to accept that as part of being an exploration team."

'Figures,' the Eevee thought with a slight pout.

Wigglytuff chimed in, "Anyway, you have passed the exam with flying colors! I hope you'll keep up your great work as explorers!"

Martha simply gave a warm smile in response to all of the praise from the other apprentices, and promised to visit every now and again.

"Thank you, everyone," she said sincerely.

* * *

That night, all of the recruits and even some of the other guild apprentices gathered at Spinda Café for Martha's party celebrating her graduation. Natalie and Chad had even been invited along. Even though the other apprentices had to go back to the guild early on to get ready for the next day, she had already received a gift from Wigglytuff's Guild. As start-up funds for Team Rapid, she'd gotten ten thousand Poké.

Everybody was still marveling at Regina's evolved form as she held a cup of Green Tea and a saucer in her hands. The fact that she had hands to hold them with was perhaps the most shocking thing about it.

Tempest had wanted to go to Luminous Spring right away, but Martha immediately shot it down, saying that it was too dangerous to explore at night. And while the badge could get him there, without a mission to authorize a teleportation back, he'd have to make the return trip on his own. He grudgingly agreed to hold off until the first thing tomorrow.

Maribel had her own cup of Sky Gummi juice as she listened to Terrence regale her with his fight against Wigglytuff. She was impressed that he managed to hold his own until help arrived, and amused by his theatrics. The Aerodactyl made for a great storyteller, gesturing wildly and mentioning the feats that he'd seen the other teammates do.

He swept his hand, "…And Regina sent Croagunk clear to the wall with Gust before Yrja gave a quick assist to freeze him against it! But I couldn't watch for long, since Wigglytuff caught me with his Double Slap. But I only let him get a couple of hits before I _ROARED_ and blew him away to catch him with my Iron Tail on the rebound! And he wasn't immune to my Pressure, either—I saw his hand trembling from the effort!"

"Good thing you were there to fight him, then," Maribel commented with a smile. "And thanks for the Sky Gummi."

"No prob!" Terrence laughed. "It's what I do!"

Tempest was talking with anybody who would listen that he was going to evolve tomorrow, even Psymon. The Water-type just gave him an odd look and said, "Good for you. Personally, it doesn't make much difference to me whether Luminous Spring has its light or not."

Augustus mainly kept to his own drink, but eventually got bored of that and talked with Ferra about various battle strategies. They critiqued each other on various aspects, pointing out flaws and generally ironing out each of their fighting styles.

Felix demonstrated his proficiency with his flames, making a ball of fire in his hand that he morphed into various shapes—even a miniature female Nidoran, much to Natalie's amusement. This was, of course, under Tisha's careful observation from a distance.

Yrja and Chad were practically glued to each other's side the whole evening. They'd had their talk about Yrja's evolution, and Chad said that she could evolve if she wanted to. He fell in love with her personality over her appearance. So what if she grew taller than him? That just meant there was more of her to love! The two of them had been sharing loving whispers in between socializing with the others ever since.

Martha talked with Wattson, since nobody else seemed readily willing to interact with him. Nobody could hear what they were saying, since the mood of the party had spread to the rest of the café, making the whole chamber abuzz with the din of music and conversation.

"…?!" Wattson asked with an incredulous expression.

Martha nodded in response.

* * *

The party died down after a few hours, and Team Rapid started discussing their intention to go home after a few more drinks. At that point, a few realized a problem that Martha might have.

"Where are you going to stay, though?" Psymon asked. "Weren't you living at the guild?"

"The same place I stayed before I joined the guild. I wasn't homeless," Marta answered.

Tisha twirled her bone club, "Are you sure you'll be fine by y'self? Natalie and I would be glad to have you."

"I wouldn't want to impose," the leader answered. "Besides, this way I'll always be able to hear the news in Treasure Town. I live in Sharpedo Bluff."

Felix blinked, "Wait, what…? You live in a bluff?"

Chuckling, Martha hopped off of her chair and tilted her head for the team to follow her.

* * *

Team Rapid headed out the west side of Treasure Town and saw a splendid view of the sea from Sharpedo Bluff. Without preamble, Martha kicked a bush aside and off the cliff, deciding that she didn't need it anymore if she was going to live there full-time now.

Each member descended the stairs, except for Terrence, who was too large and flew in through the bluff's "mouth". They saw a hollowed out chamber with a tiny freshwater spring and some crates containing wood, hay and other supplies.

Terrence nodded his approval, "Pretty nice place. Cozy, with a view of the ocean and all of that."

"What do you do if it rains?" Maribel asked. "Wouldn't water flow down the entrance?"

"Oh, there's a large flat rock outside that I can plug the entrance with. The nose of the bluff keeps any water from flowing inside the mouth easily," Martha answered. "Incidentally, if any of you need to see me, you now know where to find me."

The team nodded and started leaving,

"Oh, Tisha," Martha said as she waved for the Ground-type with her paw. "Can I talk with you for a moment?"

Tisha turned around with Natalie, a curious expression on their faces. She patted her younger sister, "Run along back to the café, Natalie."

"She can stay. This involves her too."

* * *

While Martha started her discussion with the Cubone, another conversation took place several miles away.

"Twenty percent."

"Our agreement says I get fifty."

"That's for leads _you_ get. Twenty percent."

"Forty!"

"Twenty percent."

"Thirty-five!"

"I can literally keep this up all night."

* * *

Martha, Tisha and Natalie returned a few minutes later and rejoined the last leg of the party. Soon, all of Team Rapid was about ready to go home for the night and went their separate ways.

As Regina left the crossroads, having bid all of her teammates goodbye, she flew up to Martha.

"It is time," she said.

Martha shook her head, "Not yet. You're getting a good night's sleep at my place first."

"We can ill afford to tarry!" Regina insisted.

"What good would it do you to get there completely tired out?" Martha countered. "You're staying at my place so that I can make sure you get some rest. Consider it leader's orders."

The Beehive Pokémon crossed her arms, "That is abuse of power."

"It's for your own good."

* * *

"Hey! Terrence, Felix! Wait up!"

The two Pokémon turned with a questioning grunt. They both lived to the north, in the slightly arid region. Terrence because he used to live in the mountains, and Felix because he didn't want to burn any plants if he felt like practicing his fire. But they knew that Wattson lived nowhere near them, so why did he follow them?

* * *

The night came and went, Martha leaving a Substitute awake at the entrance of her home to make sure that Regina didn't sneak off. Eventually, the evolved Pokémon decided to actually get some rest, if only because her escape was blocked.

On the way to the crossroads, Chimecho met up with Martha and told her that she could now change the leader of her exploration team. From now on, any member of Team Rapid could represent for her instead of being limited to one squad that she led. Martha nodded, saying that it was great news, and thanked Chimecho before leaving.

When the two of them arrived at Spinda Café, everyone but Tempest was already in attendance. Terrence gave his usual boisterous greeting to the two, and Regina took her seat.

"Now, before we begin our missions for the day, I have an announcement to make," Martha said.

Yrja tilted her head, "Shouldn't we wait for Tempest?"

"If he's late, then he'll just have to learn that time waits for no one," the Eevee shrugged. "I said to meet in the morning; it's the morning. His loss."

When she had everyone's attention, she continued, "Now, I'm sorry to say this, but Regina has requested to be released from Team Rapid."

Everyone at the table looked surprised, and Martha held up a paw to stave off the questions, "Please allow her to explain."

"We joined this team, yes, and have grown fond of working with thee," Regina explained. "But, we have obligations that we needed evolution to fulfill. We must go now, but we shall send a suitable replacement thine way once matters are settled."

"What sort of-" Psymon started.

Martha interrupted, "I'll explain tonight, after missions. For now, Regina, are you ready?"

"Yea, verily," she nodded before bowing to the other recruits. "It has been our honor to work alongside thee."

"Regina Amberlyn," Martha said in a solemn tone, "you are dismissed from Team Rapid, and shall be returned to your place of origin, Nectar Hollow."

The leader's badge glowed white before Regina's resonated and vanished. After that, she got enveloped in a sphere of white light before she disappeared as if teleported.

"Her last name's Amberlyn…?" Maribel muttered while the team was still in shock for the most part. "Why does that sound familiar?"

Martha took out her envelopes, "I'll explain later. For now, I have missions for all of you."

* * *

Tempest buzzed across the land in his new evolved form, having made the trip to Luminous Spring with his badge after he woke up. Though, it turned out that he couldn't evolve directly into Flygon. There was a (in his opinion) stupid cooldown time of a few days needed before he could evolve into his final form. Still, he had finally become a dragon after such a long time of being stuck on the ground. He could even fly!

The Vibrava's wings buzzed with a droning sound as he sped towards Treasure Town, his Red Goggles hung around his neck. The sun was already well above the eastern horizon, but he figured that the twenty minute trip from Luminous Spring can't have been that long to wait. And he would be fully evolved in a few days, so it would only be a matter of time before he caught her eye.

He'd been holding a crush for one of his teammates, though he'd never admit it to the others. In his mind, if he was just impressive enough, then she'd surely notice him, just like the first time they met. He'd inspired her to keep training.

Once Tempest arrived at Spinda Café, he looked around for their table, only to find Martha sitting there with a job letter. She didn't even have a drink. He flew over, a bit disappointed that the big reveal of his evolution would have to wait until the team got back.

"You're late."

At the monotone, Tempest knew that the Martha in front of him was a Substitute, which explained why she was still here with no drink.

"Everybody else, including my creator, has already left with their assignments," the double explained. "Yours is right here."

"I wanted to stop at Luminous Spring first," Tempest excused as he landed on the table. "Regina got to evolve yesterday, so I wanted to show my own evolution to her. I'll still get the mission done, so-"

"Ah yes, I should probably tell you as well, since you missed it," Martha's substitute explained. "Regina was released from Team Rapid."

Tempest stopped right before picking up the letter, feeling like he just got the ground pulled out from under him. The Vibrava turned to the messenger with a shocked expression before he narrowed his eyes.

"You're lying," he said, because it just couldn't be true.

The clone's face didn't change in the slightest as her eyes stayed on the job letter by Tempest's feet, "I was not ordered to lie. If you'll take your job, then my task will be com-"

"Shut up!" Tempest shouted. "What do you _mean_ she got released?!"

"She requested a release from Team Rapid, due to prior obligations elsewhere. I am not ordered, nor obligated to tell you the details, as my creator has elected to explain tonight," the double replied.

Then she tilted her head, "Why do you react so strongly? I may not have emotions, but I do have memories, and none of my creator's memories note you taking a vested interest in Regi-"

Tempest shot a Sonic Boom to dispel the clone, but it wasn't enough.

"-na. It was unwise to attack me, as my creator will kno-"

Another blast of concentrated air did the job.

* * *

Martha blinked at Luminous Spring, where the teammates that wanted to were taking turns evolving. A few, though, had decided to skip that step and warp straight to the dungeons that their missions took place at. She had just gotten the memories from the messenger that she'd left Tempest. Psymon, being one of the ones to wait around for his squad partner to finish, noticed his leader's furrowed brow.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

The Eevee shook her head in frustrated resignation, "I shouldn't have to deal with stuff like this so soon after graduation…"

* * *

Regina opened her eyes and took a deep breath of the smells her home was known for. Yellow-leaved trees surrounded her, but the foliage wasn't colored so for the season, or illness, but from the properties of the trees. Nectar Hollow, as the name implied, was a great spot for honey production and a popular nesting spot for Combee, Vespiquen and other Bug-types that coexisted.

'At least it was,' the Vespiquen thought dourly. Then she clenched her fist, 'And it shall be, once again.'

As she flew into the surrounding trees, looking for her target, she thought back to when she asked Martha to release her from Team Rapid when she evolved.

* * *

 ** _Martha walked with her to Sharpedo Bluff and looked out over the sea's waves. The two of them just watched the water for a moment before the leader decided to break the silence._**

 ** _"_** ** _You ask me to talk to you moments before we head to see Luminous Spring," Martha speculated. "This has to do with the reason you always wanted to evolve, doesn't it?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Yea," Regina answered in a heavy tone. "We suppose you've wondered why we lived in a forest without a Vespiquen to guide us or the male Combee in there?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Admittedly, no, it never really occurred to me to ask about that. But since you brought it up…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _Banishment," the Combee answered with a bit of acid that Martha had never heard before. "Another Vespiquen killed my mother and had me banished to that wood."_**

 ** _"_** ** _You're not from Apple Woods?" Martha asked. Then she paused in surprise. "Did you just say 'me'?!"_**

 ** _Regina shook her head, "Nay to the former. We grew up in a mystery dungeon dubbed Nectar Hollow that lay betwixt Apple Woods and Oran Forest. Also, we talk in this manner as homage."_**

 ** _"_** ** _To…? Oh…" Martha realized when Regina kept staring ahead. "How could this Vespiquen have defeated your mother? Wouldn't they both have Power Gem? That would be good for-"_**

 ** _"_** ** _The usurper wears a Vespi-Torc," she answered. "Why do you think we chose a Nectar Bow? The thought of wearing the same accessory as that Vespiquen strikes us ill."_**

 ** _"_** ** _And when you defeat her, what next?"_**

 ** _"_** ** _We will rule the kingdom as our mother would have," the Combee answered. "For that reason, we implore you. Release us when we evolve. We must fulfill this task and avenge our queen and mother."_**

 ** _"_** ** _Queen…?" Martha asked incredulously. "That makes you…"_**

 ** _"_** ** _A princess," Regina answered._**

* * *

Regina's thoughts about the past stopped when she detected some leftover pheromones—the mark of a queen directing her hive. She followed the trail until she reached a glade with a carved out honey tree acting as a throne. Four dead-eyed male Combee hovered nearby, acting as the occupant's personal guard. To most, it wouldn't seem like much of a threat, but Regina knew she'd be in trouble once she gave them an order. She herself only had her drones instead of true Combee to aid her. But she had to fight through it.

A Vespiquen slightly larger than Regina sat in the throne, her abdomen visible in the center cell of her beehive-like dress. She didn't seem surprised at Regina's appearance and pushed off of the throne's arms with her hands while her wings started buzzing to fly her in the air. A golden necklace with an onyx gem set in the center sparkled on her neck in the sunlight. The usurper Vespiquen, called the Empress by herself and those who fear her.

"Hello, little bumblebee," she greeted. "Welcome home."

* * *

 **Another chapter a week later. Do me a favor and don't get used to it. (^v^;)**

 **See you when I see you.**

 **-AJ203**


	3. Arceus Save the Princess

**Hi, sorry for the long wait, but school was absolute murder. Good news is that it's the winter break now, so I'm going to have more free time to work on my stories.**

 **Review Responses:**

 ** _PsychicEevee0103_** **: Indeed. Admittedly, I didn't have it planned all the way back when she was first introduced, but I worked out her backstory quite a while ago.**

 ** _Emblem of Light_** **: I'm glad that I can write such engaging characters that you feel that way and that you enjoyed the chapter. Yrja and Chad are the (former) Spheal and Farfetch'd. They're dating.**

 ** _Tony Anderson_** **: Thank you.**

 ** _ProfessorLugia_** **: Well, you'll get to see the fight here. As angry as Tempest may be, the Substitute explicitly told him that Regina** ** _requested_** **release from Team Rapid, so he has no excuse to view it as her being kicked off. And an attack on Martha would not go over well, as most (if not all) of the team would probably come to her defense.**

 ** _AveragePichu_** **: I'm glad you think so.**

 **On with the story!**

* * *

Chapter 3: Arceus Save the Princess

"This is the place?"

"Well, we're over the area between Apple Woods and Oran Forest, so maybe. It's hard to tell, though. Hey up there, feel like lending us some luck?"

"Wait… I think I see a clearing! It's right there, a few golden trees marking it. See it?"

"…Yeah! I see it. That must be the entrance. Alright, let's land!"

* * *

"Do _not_ address us in such a way," Regina replied firmly. "We have come to take back our throne."

The Empress chuckled, "You still talk like that? That's a dead tongue, bumblebee. I should know; I ripped it from your mother's mouth myself."

"Silence!" the princess shouted as she blew a Gust.

Two of the Empress' guards flew forward and their faces glowed golden before a honeycomb-patterned barrier formed in front of the Empress and her group, dispersing the wind. The despotic ruler simply crossed her arms as the four Combee dropped the barrier after it passed and then rushed Regina.

Once they reached her, they started firing beams of multicolored energy that Regina flew up to dodge. She hesitated to attack the Combee; brainwashed as they were, they were still members of her mother's kingdom. They needed help, not injury.

But this dilemma caused Regina to miss the Empress flying up to her until she struck her across the dress with a Slash attack. She cried out from the attack, but then sent out her own drones to attack the Empress while she was alone in the air. Unfortunately, the Attack Order didn't go through, as her opponent's own drones simply blocked them with the standard formation of a Defend Order, simply forming a wall to block the attack's advance.

Regina noticed that her opponent was focused on keeping her drones away and spat a small blob of Toxic at the Empress. It hit, and purple vein patterns appeared across the senior Vespiquen's body, but she just chuckled and said, "You fool."

Fearing the worst, Regina pulled her drones back to form a protective suit around herself. The act practically saved her life as the Empress suddenly lunged forward with the orange glow of Facade, tearing through her own drones in the process. The punch hit Regina in her thorax and killed a few of her drones while sending her into the branches of a tree.

The princess forced her eyes open when she heard buzzing and saw three of the Combee ready to fire another Attack Order. Thinking fast, she used Slash to cut the branches holding her up, making her fall to the ground while the Empress' guards fired. She flew off and recalled most her drones into her hive while the rest converged on her bruised thorax and the cut in said hive to mend the injuries. She didn't like it, but decided that if she could at least knock one of the Combee out, then it would lessen the amount of opponents.

Using a half-strength Power Gem, Regina managed to hit one of the Combee and knock him out. She got ready to hit the next one, but they simply used a Heal Order to heal and awaken their fallen comrade, yellow pollen from their wings making his injury vanish before Regina's very eyes.

Regina moved to the side and looked, so as to not give her back to either opponent and looked to see if the Empress was weakened from the poison. The Empress still hovered above her, the last Combee bringing her a Pecha Berry and dusting her with healing pollen as well. The tyrannical Vespiquen bit into the berry's skin with her mandibles and drained the juice from it, curing her poison.

"Shall we continue this farce," she asked while tossing the husk away, "or are you ready to surrender your life?"

The younger Vespiquen growled and shot a Power Gem at the tyrant, who spread her arms as if to welcome the attack and aligned for it to hit her heart. The gem on her necklace changed from black to silver as it glowed and the energy simply got absorbed into her body.

The Empress tapped the gem as it turned black again and tsk-tsked, "Poor bumblebee. You should've just stayed away from _my_ domain and kept your life."

"This is not _your_ domain!" Regina retorted while rushing forward with Aerial Ace. The last gift from Martha had been a TM containing the move. Not strictly for her vengeance, the Eevee had said, but as a congratulations for finally evolving.

The elder Vespiquen was surprised at that point and tried to have the Combee closest to her guard. But Regina maneuvered around the smaller Pokémon and struck at the Empress directly.

Even so, her hand got caught as the gem on the Empress' forehead started glowing, "Well, if you're through playing, I guess I should get serious as well."

Looking down, the despot fired the rock attack at the same spot that her Facade attack had hit, where it was still healing. Regina cried in pain and called more drones to replace the ones that were just killed and to heal her. But the Empress kept attacking with Slash, cutting the princess in several more places with her empowered claws. Regina tried to get some distance by backing away only to get shot in the back by four Attack Orders, damaging her wings.

She fell to the ground and the Empress descended with her guards returning to her side. Regina called up her drones to heal her various wounds, but it was a slow process and she had a feeling that she wouldn't live long enough to be back in fighting condition.

'The queendom… Mother… I've failed you.'

"Do you know why I banished you, instead of killing you outright?" the Empress asked with a chuckle.

Regina remained silent on the ground, glaring back at her mother's murderer, so the senior Vespiquen continued, "For this moment. The instant that you realize for all of your training, and even an evolution, you are still powerless before me."

Her gem started glowing, "Still, at this point, you could actually have the potential to surpass me. Better that I kill you now when you are weak."

"There she is!"

Right before she could fire the Power Gem, a stream of flames hit her and trapped her in a sphere while four bolts of electricity zapped the Empress' bodyguards with a larger one striking her as the sphere opened at the top.

As her guards were stunned, the Vespiquen hissed in frustration and fired the rock attack at Regina anyway only for an Aerodactyl to descend from above and deflect it with Steel Wing. An Elekid and Magby jumped down from his back as well.

"We finally found you," the Electric Pokémon said to the Empress with his back to Regina.

The princess blinked before speaking up, "What are you three doing here? This is our fight!"

"Eh?" The Fossil Pokémon turned his head and glanced at her, "And who are you, miss? Are you sure you're not mistaking us for someone else?"

"Yeah," the Fire-type added. "We're Team Firestorm." **(2)**

Regina looked at them with a flat expression and the Aerodactyl covered his eyes with a slight groan, "I _told them_ after I joined that the name was too specialized, that it made it sound like they only had Electric and Fire-types, but they said that they'd had it since the beginning and refused to change it."

"We're bounty hunters, lady," the Elekid explained. "We were hired to take this mark down."

"Wattson," Regina continued, unconvinced, "you three wear the _same_ rare items you had this morning."

"That's not my name, there's more than one set of these three items in the world, and I'd really appreciate if you let us handle this," he answered without missing a beat. "You want this Empress gone; we want the bounty. Everybody wins."

With a furious scream, the Empress used Gust to blow the flames away. Regina worried for the forest, but the Aerodactyl raised a wall around the clearing with Ancient Power to stop the fire from catching onto the trees. The Combee also shook off their paralysis and blankly got ready to attack as well, using Heal Order on one another to fix their electrical burns.

"Garreth, the guards," the Electric Pokémon instructed. "They're too far gone; I can tell. Put them out of their misery. Blair and I will keep the big one busy until you can get there."

Garreth let out a sigh, "Pity." But it didn't last long before his brooch activated Pressure and he leaped towards the first Combee to bite him with an Ice Fang while impaling another with a stalagmite sprouted from the ground with Stone Edge.

The Empress moved to attack him with Power Gem, but had to dodge a Thunder Punch from the Elekid.

"Not happening, lady," he warned with a glare. "You're dethroned today. Consider it karma for being such a royal pain."

With a growl, the Empress sent an order for her other Combee to attack the Aerodactyl instead while she engaged the Electric Pokémon.

But Garreth plucked the frozen Combee from his mouth and shattered him with a swing of Iron Tail. The move sent the shards into the other guards, distracting and injuring them until he trapped one in a rock sphere with Ancient Power and crushed the other against the ground with Iron Tail.

At the same time, the sun started beating down harder and Blair's Magma Scarf started glowing orange. The Magby took a deep breath and opened his eyes before dashing forward, moving as a red blur. **(1)**

Flames enveloped him halfway to the Empress and he barged into her with a devastating Flare Blitz. She screeched in pain and got sent flying a distance.

"You know you could've just hit her with a Fire Punch," Blair's partner pointed out as he held up an Oran Berry to offer him.

The Live Coal Pokémon held up a hand to turn the item down. He'd heal up in due time. But he smirked and replied, "I can't let you have _all_ the fun, Vick, I gotta make my mark too."

The two of them faced the recovering tyrant and ignited their fists with fire and electricity respectively.

Vick smirked, "Get ready to face the might of our…"

"Burning Bolt Barrage!" Blair shouted as they both charged. The Magby kept pace with his partner's natural speed due to his scarf's help. The two Pokémon attacked simultaneously with a frenzy of elemental punches, forcing the Empress to back away to minimize the hits taken.

Meanwhile, Garreth pondered what to do with his captured Combee. He was in a position to finish him off, but he didn't really _like_ killing, and the enemy _was_ unable to break out of his container right now.

The Aerodactyl took some time to think, knowing that his teammates could run circles around their current opponent. But a barely audible voice whispered from the stone sphere.

He raised an eyebrow, "Come again?"

"…Kill… me… Empress's pheromones… for so long… So many atrocities… But no more… can reach me here…"

"Wait, but that Vespiquen's not-"

"No more… No more…" the Combee muttered inside.

Garreth frowned as he realized his partner had been right. They really were too far gone. He hesitantly rested a hand against the container, "Stone Maiden."

"Thank-"

The sound of pierced flesh and the cracking of the Combee's exoskeleton cut off what he was about to say as the Fossil Pokémon used Stone Edge to sprout multiple stalagmites on the inside. He leaned against what was now a coffin and mourned the lives he had to take.

But the moment passed and he glared at the Empress with a growl, resting his hands on the ground and sending energy through the earth to surround her as the Electric Pokémon grabbed on and started charging for a Thunderbolt.

The Empress threw the clinging Elekid off of her and readied a Power Gem for the Magby.

She ignored the stalagmites rising towards her. If they were going to pierce in so many places, her Vespi-Torc would surely absorb them and heal her of the damages she took. Instead, she focused on aiming carefully at the speedy Fire-type. If she could just get a hit, then-

The attack struck, shocking her to her core. Rather than dissipating and fueling her own strength, the stalagmites had simply pierced her hive dress and struck her abdomen, sinking into the softer flesh and emerging up the other side. One even pierced her thorax, but missed her heart, thankfully.

The Vespiquen looked down, as if she couldn't comprehend that such an attack would strike her. She coughed as blood leaked out of her mouth and grasped at her neck only to find nothing there.

"Looking for this?"

She slowly turned her head to see Vick swinging her Vespi-Torc on one claw. "You should keep a closer eye on your valuables."

Hissing furiously, the Empress broke the stone spikes with a Slash attack and called, "Heal Order!"

Two Combee from her guard that she kept hidden for emergencies buzzed overhead and dropped yellow pollen which closed her wounds, sealing the rocks inside.

"Uh, lady?" Blair asked. "There's a little thing called 'infection'. You probably shouldn't have-"

"Silence! It is _my throne_!" the despot shouted, releasing wave after wave of pheromones in fury. "Servants, EVERYONE! TO ME!"

Vick hurriedly stashed the necklace and twisted the Current Ring on his upper arm to let it allow more electricity to flow. It meant he'd run out faster, but from the approaching buzzes, he'd need the extra power.

Regina saw her opportunity and flew to hover in the air, ignoring the pain in her wings. She stood tall and moved beside her allies.

The wall of boulders crumbled as multiple Scizor, Heracross and Pinsir took point from different locations, allowing the other bugs that couldn't fly to step over the rubble. It probably wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the entire forest had come since several of just about every conceivable Bug-type surrounded the mercenaries, the Empress and Regina.

The tyrannical ruler laughed, "Now, perish! Attack, my servants!"

But nobody heeded her order. They all stared at Regina. Unlike the Empress's personal guard, they hadn't been subjected to brainwashing from constant exposure to her pheromones. A majority of the gathered Pokémon knew about the family before their current ruler.

"The princess…?"

"The last of the Amberlyn line… She's returned!"

"Attack, you fools!" the Empress commanded, releasing pheromones to try controlling them. But Regina released Sweet Scent laced with her own pheromones as she said in a calming tone, "Be at ease, for we have returned and shall dethrone this tyrant."

Every bug relaxed under the sedating scent, the younger calmed by Regina's motherly tone and the older generations hopeful for a return to the previous family's reign.

Meanwhile, the enraged despot shot a Power Gem attack at the gathered crowd, aiming to kill one of them and get the rest to follow. But one of the Combee in the crowd got a pheromone signal and flew to the front. His honeycomb faces glowed gold before a beehive-pattern barrier formed and blocked the attack.

The other Combee rallied and two traveled to Regina's side, dusting her with the healing pollen while the rest constructed a dome barrier of the same kind around the two Vespiquen and their respective pairs of Combee, sealing them inside and protecting the denizens of Nectar Hollow.

The Magby stepped forward to try getting in, but a hand and discouraging headshake from his Elekid partner stopped him. "This is out of our hands now," he explained.

"Noble mercenaries," Regina announced as she readied for battle again, "we thank thee for thy assistance, but this is our fight. We shall take back our queendom with our own strength." She stood tall again as the two Combee hovered at her sides, ready to receive orders.

"You fool," the Empress chuckled with glee and barely masked pain. "Your death will cement my hold on this forest."

"No," Regina countered. "You lost the moment you called your subjects. All this time, you ruled through fear. And by trying to use that in your weakened state, you have failed. They notice your pained movements. They have seen that you are not invincible. Even if you should kill Princess Amberlyn, I know that they will rise up against you."

"No…"

"The royal court will train a new family to rule," Regina continued, the denizens of Nectar Hollow beginning to rally. "Even if I may perish, you cannot kill the hope that was born today. The queendom will endure, and you shall fall."

The Empress readied a Power Gem in response and her two Combee fired an Attack Order as she shot her own attack, the three combining into a single beam aimed at Regina. "DIE!"

Regina fired her own combination attack, the two mixed beams meeting in the center. She wasn't completely confident that her subjects' Defend Order would be able to block the attack from reaching outside to the spectators.

The two attacks canceled each other out and the Empress's Combee rushed through the flash to attack. Regina blew them aside with Gust, and her own Combee attacked the downed Pokémon with Attack Order while she rushed forward with Aerial Ace to the Empress.

But the larger Pokémon did the same as before and caught the hand that intended to pierce her. She readied a point-blank Power Gem and said, "This time, I'll take your-"

But she got interrupted as the princess leaned towards her captured hand and bit into the Empress's with Bug Bite.

"Gah! Filthy savage!" the despot cursed as she let go out of pain and surprise. Her concentration breaking caused her Power Gem to falter.

Regina sent her other hand forward with Slash and raked her claws across her opponent's thorax, inadvertently jostling the rock inside and causing more internal bleeding. The Empress clutched her chest and coughed some more. She fell to the ground, resting on her hive despite the pain from jostling the rocks in her abdomen, as small streams of blood ran from between her fangs.

The princess looked at her in thought. At this rate she would die before a trial could be held. Granted, her crimes meant death anyway, but it was the principle that mattered more.

She sent the signal to the Combee, and they began stopping their Defend Order. Once the barrier dropped, two Ariados immediately tied up the Empress and her two remaining guards with their webbing on Regina's orders.

The princess flew towards the bound Vespiquen and said, "Cerella of the Darva line, you are hereby charged with the massacre of your family, regicide and the tyrannical oppression of Nectar Hollow for five years."

Regina stopped while hovering in front of her, "Have you any final words before your summary execution?"

After a brief pause with the former empress looking down, she reared her head up with her gem glowing, ready to fire Power Gem. Right as she shouted, the sound of flesh splitting rang out among the Pokémon in attendance. The three bounty hunters looked slightly uncomfortable, but the rest of the natives of the wood remained indifferent.

Cerella's head fell to the ground while Regina's claws still glowed with the Slash attack she'd used. The gem lost its glow with the energy to fire the attack cut off prematurely.

Regina shortened her claws again, "We thought not."

There was silence for a time as Cerella's body went limp, still rested on the bottom of her hive, but no longer upright. Regina turned to address her subjects.

"We apologize for making you wait for the time that you did," she said with a bow. "Evolution eluded us, and-"

A roar of celebration cut off her apology as some of the smaller bugs flew forward to embrace their lost royal.

* * *

While the Bug Pokémon of Nectar Hollow started to rejoice at the restoration of their princess to the throne, the three mercenaries watched on.

Vick examined the Vespi-Torc, "Welp, mission accomplished. One dead tyrant."

"And four innocents that were brainwashed," Garreth mournfully added. "And what if she had a child, or-"

Blair cut him off, "Didn't you hear? She killed her family. If she had children, she wouldn't want them to take 'her throne'. Sorry, big guy. We couldn't save anybody else today."

"On the bright side," the Elekid added while stowing the item away, "with a long enough time in therapy, those other two Combee tied up over there _might_ be able to live semi-regular lives in retirement. They won't be doing any more battling after their time with the Her Rottenness."

"Really?" Garreth asked while turning to his teammate hopefully.

He smiled, "Sure. I mean, I've still seen worse attitudes in henchmen. These were brainwashed blanks." Vick then crossed his arms, "Some of them are so thoroughly worked over that they're actually trained to hold their 'teacher' up as high as Arceus himself, even if they're the single worst Pokémon on the planet. Others genuinely follow their evil leader out of respect or commonality, and you can't help those."

"Yeesh," Blair shuddered. "That's a scary thought."

The Electric Pokémon shrugged, "It's a scary world. Now let's report in to the client."

Garreth lowered a wing to allow his partners aboard, and they started getting ready to depart before a voice called, "Hold!"

The trio turned with curious expressions to see the crowd of Bug-types part to allow Regina through. Blair and Vick jumped off the meager distance they'd managed to climb on their flier, and the three held their hands to their chest while inclining their heads.

"Raise your heads, noble mercenaries," the princess intoned. "We still need a proper coronation before reclaiming the throne."

"Royalty is royalty, Your Highness," Blair politely replied as they raised their heads. "Wouldn't want to be rude."

"Regardless, you three have helped save our kingdom, and such help cannot go unrewarded," Regina insisted.

Vick shrugged, "We're not necessarily heroes, Princess Amberlyn. We were just hired to take out the tyrant around here."

"Pray we may ask who put the bounty on Cerella's head," she requested.

He shrugged, "No one of consequence, just some merchant that wanted in to trade for the honey around here. Hopefully, this necklace will be enough to prove that we did the deed. His name was Maras-something."

"Marasmius, Vick," Blair reminded in a slightly weary tone.

The Elekid turned to his partner, "Hey, you're the face, I'm the brain, and Garreth's the giant fist."

"Heh, I do _love_ being the giant fist," Garreth added with a chuckle.

"Well, even if you will not take the title of heroes, such help cannot go unrewarded," the restored royal insisted. "We still must oversee our kingdom, and resources will be tied up in reconstruction for a time, but perhaps someone can venture in our stead. Our queendom has several capable fighters. We shall elect one to join your cause."

Garreth bowed with a hand on his chest, "We thank you for your generosity, but the three of us work alone so as to maximize our teamwork. If we took somebody else on, it would throw off our dynamic. It took my teammates weeks alone to work me into their fighting, and we can't really afford to tie ourselves up. Bounties are tight as is with exploration teams grabbing so many. Still, we can guide your chosen fighter to the merchant that hired us, and he can decide from there what to do."

Regina was slightly caught off guard by the decline, but figured that Martha had some sort of hand in this and decided to acquiesce. Her mother had informed her of certain types of political statements while she was still alive, and the Vespiquen felt that Martha was helping her without having to admit that she helped her.

Just as well, since a queen was supposed to be strong and dependable. "Bounty hunters" who just _happened_ to be after the same target were fine to work with. But if she had brought her team to help, then that would merely demonstrate cowardice and lack of willingness to face the threat herself.

"I'll go," a Beautifly volunteered. "Seeing you back, Princess Amberlyn, is more than worth joining these mercenaries' benefactor."

"Are you certain?"

The butterfly nodded, "Forager I may be, but my parents did teach me to fight."

"Very well," the princess agreed. "Mercenaries, it shall be as you heard. Cynthia here shall accompany you."

Vick looked between Cynthia and several other Beautifly in the crowd, "Uh… Not to be rude, but how can you tell them apart by name?"

"Pheromones," Regina answered. "Each resident of the queendom has their signature scent, if you will, and we've long since committed them to memory. A rather common question."

"Thanks for clearing that up," Blair nodded. Then he turned to Cynthia, "You ready right now?"

She nodded, and the two leaders of Team Firestorm boarded Garreth. The Aerodactyl took off with his teammates and Cynthia followed close behind.

* * *

The group flew out of Nectar Hollow and to the southwest, approaching the plains until diving down to land near a signpost where a Breloom carrying a rucksack was waiting. Closer inspection revealed that he wore an orange bowtie with green borders on the edges of the fabric.

"It's done?" he asked.

Garreth snorted, "Well, hello to you, too. Yeah, we got rid of that tyrant."

Vick took out the Vespi-Torc, and Cynthia added, "I can personally testify that Cerella is now dead."

"Good work," the Mushroom Pokémon praised with a smile. He handed over a large bag of Poké, which Vick took with a smile.

"Awesome," the Elekid quietly celebrated. "This'll cover expenses for a good while."

Blair gestured to Cynthia, "Also, the restored royalty offered us one of her subjects to join our team, but we're strictly a trio, as you know. She decided to join you since you funded our mission."

The two looked at each other, before the Grass/Fighting-type decided to break the ice.

"Marasmius, apothecary, and also known as the Mushroom Doctor," he introduced with an amiable nod. "And who do I have the pleasure of addressing?"

"Cynthia Anthia, second daughter of Althia Anthia, the court healer of Nectar Hollow," she introduced in turn with an incline of her head.

The merchant raised an eyebrow, "So it's true. Monarchies do still use last names."

"Only for those of station—I keep the name until my elder sister assumes the mantle of healer and has a daughter, in which case my role as the next in line ceases. After that, I tend to the flowers and help harvest fruits and nectar when the time comes along with my younger sisters and brothers—a simple and peaceful existence," she explained. Then she tilted her head in question, "Your mercenaries claimed that you wished to enter the queendom as well?"

Marasmius nodded, "Yes, you see, the nectar prevalent in that wood is a key ingredient to many potent medicines. I knew where to _find_ it, since my family used to travel there for the stuff, but I discovered it to be much more hostile than in my father's time. I figured that a Fire-type, an Electric-type and a Rock/Flying-type would be enough to put down whatever made it that way."

"Well, you two seem to be getting along, so if you'll excuse us," Blair chimed in as the trio walked off.

The Breloom waved them off before turning back to Cynthia, "Hm, I don't suppose you have any experience crafting remedies?"

"Sadly, no," Cynthia answered. "I do know Morning Sun, and that's it."

"Well then, it won't help much to have you work with me… Ah!" Marasmius smiled, "I think I can find somewhere for you to help. You can join my bodyguard detail."

"Bodyguards?"

The merchant nodded, "You see, this bow right here protects me from those pesky Flying-type attacks, but a lot of stuff can still hurt me pretty easily. Never was much of a fighter, ironically.

"Anyway, I have an ongoing contract with an exploration team. They provide me protection for some of the more dangerous mystery dungeons for me to visit, and I compensate them," he explained. "I also occasionally let them know about new mystery dungeons, and get a cut of the treasures they find. Anyway, you can help me out by joining them. A healer like you would help them help me."

Cynthia thought about it and decided that if he felt it was the best she could do, then she wouldn't disagree. It might even be nice to work as part of an exploration team.

"Very well. What's this team's name?"

* * *

Martha headed back to Treasure Town with more than a little reluctance, knowing that Tempest would likely be waiting there to demand answers. Her clone had told him that she would explain tonight, but she somehow doubted that he'd see that as an excuse.

She was almost tempted to wait until sunset so that she could be sure everyone was there before arriving. That way she wouldn't have to endure any glares. Still, the Eevee would have to face it sooner or later, so she figured she might as well get it over with.

"Ah! Excuse me; are you by any chance Martha?"

The leader of Team Rapid turned with a questioning grunt and saw a Beautifly fluttering over.

"That's right," Martha confirmed. "Why?"

The Beautifly stopped in front of her, "My name is Cynthia. It's my understanding that your team operates as a Marasmius's bodyguards?"

"Yes, what of it?"

"Ah, perhaps you haven't heard," Cynthia realized. "The apothecary hired a team of bounty hunters, Team Firestorm, to depose a tyrant terrorizing my home queendom, Nectar Hollow."

"What? Why didn't he call us to take care of it?" Martha wondered.

"I imagine he had his reasons," the Beautifly answered. "In any case, since he was the benefactor of the mercenaries, the restored princess elected somebody to join his cause. He found me lacking in ability to help with his work as an apothecary, but recommended I join your team, since you and he have a contract to protect him when he needs it."

"Well, we recently had to let go of one of our teammates, so we'll gladly accept you," the leader replied with a smile.

Cynthia tilted her head, "I beg your pardon?"

"I'll explain tonight," Martha excused. "Now, let's see who's back from their missions today. We should probably start to introduce you to your new teammates."

The Eevee led the way, and Cynthia followed shortly after.

* * *

 **All will be explained in the next chapter, which I'll work to post as soon as possible.**

 **Notes:**

 **1\. Magma Scarf, a Magmar's exclusive item, doubles speed under harsh sunlight.**

 **2\. This is a shout-out to ProfessorLugia and his Firestorm saga. Look him up, he has really good stories.**

 **See you when I see you.**

 **-AJ203**


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